Under The Mistletoe
by Swan3ills
Summary: Snow had covered the lawns of Storybrooke creating an ethereal landscape. The Charmings were decorating their apartment for Christmas to celebrate their first holiday as a family. What they didn't expect was to find out who would be trapped under the mistletoe's spell. This is a SwanQueen romantic story wishing you all a merry Christmas!
1. Christmas is Coming

_- I am placing this story in the middle of season #2.  
__- After Emma invited Regina to their welcoming party at Granny's._

* * *

**"CHRISTMAS IS COMING"**

* * *

White snow had covered the lawns of the town creating a beautiful and ethereal landscape for the sight. The wind was blowing gently as snowflakes continued to trickle lazily down the sky, like miniature shooting stars.

The Charmings were almost over with decorating their small apartment for the upcoming Christmas party. Henry was placing the star on top of the tree as his grandfather carried him over his shoulders. The day before, Mary Margaret had been looking for new recipes to try this year, while Emma remained upstairs secretly wrapping the gifts she bought her family and an extra little box she wasn't sure what to do with it.

The schoolteacher wanted everything to be perfect since this was their first celebration as a family, even if this tradition was foreign to their own at the Enchanted Forest. She had started cooking and baking early in the morning. The scent of cupcakes had quickly gathered Emma and Henry at the kitchen island, looking with puppy eyes at the motherly figure pulling a tray out of the oven.

_"Can I have one, please?"_ – Henry was the first to beg.

_"Not yet, they need to cool down before you eat them."_ – His grandmother answered, smiling gently at the young boy and her daughter.

Mother and son looked at each other with a frown, sighing hopelessly. They knew Mary Margaret wouldn't let them steal her cupcakes until she had everything ready for breakfast at the table.

_"Come, kid, let's help granny set the table."_ – Emma ordered the boy as she made her way over to the cupboards to pull out everything they needed for their breakfast. She passed the items over to Henry who neatly arranged them over the table.

_"Wow! You really know how to do this, kid." _– Emma said in surprise as she found a table with cutlery arranged in a way she had only seen at the fancy restaurants she learned to know well in her previous bail bonds job.

_"My mom taught me."_ – Henry spoke naturally. _"She likes everything perfect." _– He added, shrugging his shoulders and twitching his lip in a similar manner Emma had often seen in the former Mayor.

_"Yeah… That would be Regina." _– Emma muttered, noticing how her son resembled Regina as much as he did her. After all, ten years couldn't be brushed off the surface just like that.

Henry had been quiet in their breakfast, pushing food around his plate and lifting his gaze from time to time in a suspicious way. Emma was curious to know what was going in on inside his head and Mary Margaret had asked him if there was something wrong in the food. His poor grandmother was internally worried that her omelet might not be able to compete against Regina's cooking skills, but the boy assured her everything was delicious.

_"What is it, kid?"_ – Emma asked him. _"Spill it."_ – Her tone was friendly.

Henry looked at his mother and his grandparents, and then took a deep breath to finally ask if they could have Regina over for their Christmas party. Mary and David looked at each other with their mouths open in bewilderment. They didn't want to invite her into their home, but they knew she was still part of Henry's life and they didn't have the right to deny such an innocent request from the child.

Emma was not perplexed since she had been expecting it already. Henry had begged her to invite Regina to Granny's when they made it back from the Enchanted Forest. It was only natural for the kid to want his adoptive mother close in Christmas Eve.

_"Sure, kid. I will personally invite her." _– Emma answered before his parents had a chance to oppose.

_"I will go with you!"_ – Henry exclaimed in excitement with a bright smile on his face.


	2. Hot Cocoa

**"HOT COCOA"**

* * *

They were sitting in the living room as Regina came back from her kitchen carrying a tray with hot cocoa mugs for each of them. She had sprinkled the cinnamon she knew both "kids" loved to have in their drink. A small detail she had never enjoyed knowing since it was a direct link back to her archenemy. Emma and Henry loved their treats, thanking the brunette for remembering. Regina smiled through tight lips; not feeling flattered for the least.

Emma decided to let Henry speak and the young boy invited his mom to join them for Christmas Eve. The blonde held out an envelope holding a beautiful card inside she bought, specifically, to properly invite the regal lady.

_"At The Charmings."_ – Regina spoke, curling her lip in distaste. _"I'm not sure that's a good idea, Henry." _– She continued speaking as her hand caressed the boy's chin.

_"But we never missed Christmas together, mom! And we are all a family now!"_ – The boy complained. For him, his family had grown bigger and he loved the idea, but it was not a feeling the rest of them shared.

Regina's eyes met Emma's in question, waiting for the blonde to say the last word and break the uncomfortable silent that settled in the room. Emma tried to break contact and took a gulp from her mug making her tongue burn. _"Ouch! It burns!"_ - She shouted in pain, earning the rolling of Regina's eyes in annoyance.

_"A child raising another child."_ – Regina didn't refrain from making her negative comment. Emma glared at the bitter lady but decided to let her be.

_"Why don't you come here for dinner, Henry? Emma can come as well, if she wants to, of course."_ – She extended her offer unsure if she wanted to have the immature blonde at her table.

_"That's a good idea!"_ – Henry quickly answered. _"And then we can go from here to Mary Margaret's to open our gifts."_ – He added with enthusiasm. It was the perfect plan.

Regina's mouth dropped, it was not something she would agree to and Emma enjoyed the shocked expression over the brunette's face. She thought to herself this would be a good way to make her arrogance pay and decided to speak before the older woman opposed.

_"Then it's done!" _- Emma quickly beat the brunette to it. _"Let's go, Henry."_ – She said as she put the mug over the coffee table and took Henry's hand asking him to come with her. He complained because he hadn't finished his cocoa but Emma told him he could have another one later.

_"We don't want to waste more of your mom's time. She has to make dinner." _– Emma told Henry as they made their way to the door. She turned to look into brown eyes with pride for her victory as the brunette furiously glared back at green.

_"Enjoy your cocoa."_ – Emma added before Regina shut the door angrily at her.


	3. Guilty Pleasures

**"GUILTY PLEASURES"**

* * *

They were feeling full by the time they had gone through the second course but there was no way they would miss dessert. Henry and Emma smiled at each other when they saw a big and gorgeous red velvet cake sit in the middle of the table. Regina had mastered her baking skills in the lonely years of the curse. She had more or less lived two lives already and the experience showed in her culinary arts.

The batter was soft and sweet but not overwhelming. The hint of chocolate and buttermilk made them moan a little too loud in pleasure as they indulged in the savory piece of heaven.

_"God… I could get used to this."_ – Emma said it as if no one was hearing.

_"I could have it everyday." _– She finished as her mouth continued to savor the piece of cake.

_"A simple thank you would suffice."_ – The brunette spoke with smugness.

Emma chuckled rolling her eyes at the smug smile on Regina's lips.

_"And don't get too used to this because it's only happening once a year."_ – The regal lady let the commoner know where she was standing.

It may have been Emma's victory this time but she would damn make sure it wouldn't repeat.

_"Bummer."_ – Emma mumbled.

They finished dinning and helped Regina clean the kitchen against her will. They were her invitees and she should be the one attending to their needs but it was quickly getting late and they still had to make it to Mary Margaret's place.

After five minutes of discussing who would be driving and which was the best car to get them to their destination, Regina finally gave in and let Emma take them in the deathtrap to her parent's apartment.

The brunette had insisted on taking her own car so she could drive back home without disturbing anyone unnecessarily, but Emma knew this would be an excuse for Regina to flee from the scene as soon she found fit.

And where's the fun in that? Emma asked herself.


	4. Under The Mistletoe

**"UNDER THE MISTLETOE"**

* * *

They had been greeted by Ruby, who went to open the door on their arrival. Archie was chatting with David by the stairs while his wife poured some eggnog into lovely mason jars to offer the peculiar trio that had finally showed up.

The adults tried to behave as civil as they could around the once Evil Queen and were courteous with each other for the sake of the kid. Regina felt cramped in the tight space as she was used to her own modern palace and started looking at the decoration in disapproval, finding it very "Mary Margaret's".

Everything went fluidly once they survived the first hour. Henry had convinced Regina to bring his photo album to show them pictures from him growing up. Mary Margaret had met him the first day Regina brought him with her and remembered holding him in her arms to make his crying stop.

Emma felt happy seeing baby Henry turn to the little man he was now and was thankful to Regina for sharing the pictures. She couldn't lie she felt also sad for not having been there for him, but she knew this had been his better chance at the time and the former Mayor had provided him with the best care she was able to offer.

It was almost midnight and they had eaten again a generous meal, which surprisingly wasn't so bad for Regina's taste. Not like she made it too evident to the schoolteacher, but they could tell by the way she was nearly smiling in approval of her supper.

Regina was washing her hands in the kitchen after insisting on cleaning the dishes. The always-elegant lady had decided it was now time to make her departure as she had already spent nearly three hours with The Charmings and that was the worse curse imaginable.

The brunette was walking toward the living room when she ran into Emma, who wasn't paying attention to the front as she was talking about getting Ruby a margarita. They crashed against each other and whimpered in pain rubbing their foreheads.

_"Watch your step, fool."_ – Regina raised her voice angrily at the blonde.

_"How about you watch yours, sister."_ – Emma snapped at her.

The sudden yelling caught the attention from the party chatting in the living room. They turned their looks towards the pair to see what was going on and Ruby quickly noticed something that was overly amusing to her.

_"Look! They're under the Mistletoe."_ – Ruby shouted, pointing with a finger at the ceiling from where a little mistletoe had been hung by Mary Margaret earlier.

_"You know tradition." _– Ruby cheekily noted, winking at Emma.

_"What is she talking about?"_ – Regina asked in confusion.

_"You have to kiss!"_ – Henry answered.

_"No, they don't."_ – David quickly continued after Henry as Mary Margaret and Archie shook their heads at the strange scene unraveling before them.

Emma looked at Regina and blushed. The blonde had done this before when she lived a normal life and had grown up knowing about this silly tradition.

_"What a stupid tradition."_ – Regina spoke with annoyance in her voice.

_"As if I would let a commoner's lips touch mine."_ – The regal lady mumbled, but Emma clearly heard it and decided she had had enough of the brunette's constant belittlement.

Emma's hands grabbed hold of Regina's face as she quickly leaned forward to force her lips against hers, kissing them both forcefully but carefully. A kiss that didn't last too long before the furious lady broke it off.

_"What the hell do you think you're doing?" _– Regina yelled at her in shock.

But she wasn't the only one who did that. Emma's parents couldn't believe their eyes either and Mary Margaret scolded Emma for acting like a teenage boy. Ruby was silently chuckling, hiding her smile behind a cupcake and Archie just moved his gaze to watch Henry who didn't seem to be bothered at all.

Henry pointed at the wall clock and screamed it was time to open their presents, or more like his presents, since the tree had several boxes underneath with his name. There was one box per adult for the child, along with some others for the rest of the crowd.

Everyone received a gift from each other, even Regina who wasn't expecting to see anything with her name written on it. Henry had bought her a beautiful scarf with gold and red lines forming an elegant modern pattern. She was content and kissed her son in the forehead thanking him for the present.

It was very late, Ruby and Archie had left soon after opening their gifts and Henry had fallen asleep on the sofa. Emma was putting the boy on her bed upstairs while Regina was waiting for her to come back and drive her to her place.

_"He sleeps like a rock."_ – Emma said to the brunette while coming down the stairs.

_"Must be your trait."_ – Regina pointed out.

_"You ready?"_ – Emma asked the lady who was already walking to the door.

_"Take a wild guess, Miss Swan."_ – Regina answered with sass raising an eyebrow.

_"Okay…"_ –Emma muttered as they made their way out.


	5. Merry Christmas

**"MERRY CHRISTMAS"**

* * *

The ride to Regina's house was very unsettling for the two women. Regina was still angry about the kiss and Emma felt guilty about putting a show in her parents' home, but she wasn't sorry for making the brunette pay for her arrogance.

They made it to the porch and Regina opened the door, dismissing the blonde with the wave of her hand. She didn't even want to make eye contact with the girl because she felt humiliated and didn't want to see the pride of victory shine in green eyes again.

_"Hey… I got you a little something."_ – Emma decided to tell the older woman.

_"What now, Miss Swan."_ – Regina turned around to look at the girl outside her porch, raising an eyebrow in suspicion.

_"Don't worry. It's not a kiss."_ – Emma answered in a chuckle.

_"Oh, pity."_ – Regina complained sarcastically.

Emma pulled a small box out of a pocket from her coat and placed it in Regina's hands. The older woman twitched her mouth and thanked the blonde through tight lips. She walked inside the house without closing the door behind her, making Emma's eyes blink in confusion.

_"Aren't you coming?"_ – Regina asked.

_"Huh, yeah… I guess."_ – Emma answered and stepped inside, shutting the door behind her. She followed after Regina's step guiding them toward a gorgeous white tree next to the stairs.

It was beautifully decorated in a spiral made of a chain of red crystals; there were also aged silver horses and translucent pendants were hanging all around the tree. Tiny lights shone in a warm white and a bright crystal heart twinkled at the crest with a beat emanating from its center.

Emma must have stared for too long at the beating heart because Regina had moved to her side to explain the decoration. _"It is not real, you know. It is in memory of someone dear." _– She said snapping Emma out of her reverie.

_"I got you a little something, too, Emma."_ – Regina said to the blonde as she placed a small box in her hands.

_"Oh, we are back to friendly terms now."_ – Emma pointed out playfully after the other woman called her by her name.

_"I do hope so." _– Regina answered with honesty.

It was perhaps the drinks she had at the party what made her soften, or it was the magic of the mistletoe that suddenly made Regina yearn for more family reunions, even if they involved the two idiots.

Emma felt the softness and honesty in Regina's words and moved to stand in front of the lady, with her back to the tree. She looked into brown eyes and then over the boxes in their hands.

_"Let's see what we got each other." _– She said as her hands carefully untied the knot from the beautiful purple bow on the box.

They looked at each other in surprise and chuckled at the revelation. They had gotten the same gift for one another; a heart shaped necklace that revealed two pictures when you opened it. In one side there was Henry and at the other side the owner of the necklace.

_"I think we should trade."_ – Emma suggested. Regina blinked unsure of what the blonde meant.

_"Here, keep mine and I will take yours." _– The blonde switched the boxes with the jewelry.

_"This way I will always have you and Henry close to me. Just like you will have us."_ – The younger woman explained.

Regina blushed lightly as she turned around on Emma's request. She felt warm hands brush against her neck and the caress of hot humid breath behind her ear, but the contrast with the cool metal from the chain made the goose bumps come to surface.

The pendant was hanging loosely on the middle of her chest when Emma's fingers picked it up to make sure it had the right set of pictures. Regina's face flushed at the sensuality emanating from the blonde who had come to close behind her.

_"Looks like they're the right ones."_ – The blonde whispered behind her ear as she let the pendant rest against the brunette's chest again.

Emma's hands slowly turned the brunette around to give her one last look. She couldn't stop feeling drawn into the darkness in brown eyes and the softness from the plump lips she tasted before. She wasn't sure if this was right or wrong, but it didn't stop her from pulling Regina close with her hands wrapping around the brunette's waist.

_"Please tell me this isn't one sided."_ – Emma asked the woman who was under her grasp.

Regina moved her eyes away from the green gaze piercing into them. She looked at the tree behind Emma and remembered Daniel's last words; "then love again."

Regina's hands moved up Emma's arms and rested over the blonde's shoulders as she slowly leaned forward and closed her eyes, waiting for the other woman to complete the kiss. Their lips met again, brushing against each other's, quickly increasing the intensity and suckling at the swollen flesh with hunger. It was starting to be too much to bear when their lungs reclaimed the air, breaking the now passionate kiss.

_"So… What do you say?"_ – Emma asked after recovering her breath.

_"I don't tell. I show."_ – Regina answered as she moved away from Emma's embrace and sauntered over to the stairs.

_"Coming, dear?"_ – The brunette asked with a sultry voice.

_"You bet."_ – Emma answered.

The light filtering through the window made her eyes open slowly. She was still half asleep when a gentle hand pushed blonde curls aside and a familiar voice whispered in her ear.

_"Merry Christmas" _


End file.
